What is Science Fiction to You?

What is Science Fiction to You?

When you think of Science Fiction, what is it that you see? Maybe lightsabers cutting through blast doors? An alien being raised in Kansas to one day become the hero of the earth? Maybe a dystopian society being challenged by a lowly girl just trying to survive? What is science fiction to you? No matter where you look, people have differing opinions of how to define Science Fiction. In 2014, Time Out weekly magazine ranked the 100 best sci-fi movies of all time. They started by asking 150 of science fiction’s best of the best to name their ten favorite sci-fi films of all time. Some of those asked were: Director and Novelist Guillermo Del Toro, Director and Screenwriter Edgar Wright, and world-renowned author George RR Martin. They then used those answers to come up with their list. Here are the top ten:

What is science fiction #10:

The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Director: Irvin Kershner

Writers: Leigh Brackett, Lawrence Kasdan, and George Lucas

Stars: Mark Hamil, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher

“After the rebels have been brutally overpowered by the Empire on their newly established base, Luke Skywalker takes advanced Jedi training with Master Yoda, while his friends are pursued by Darth Vader as part of his plan to capture Luke.”

What is science fiction #9:

The terminator (1984)

Director: James Cameron

Writers: James Cameron, Gale Anne Hurd, and William Wisher Jr.

Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, and Michael Biehn

“A human-looking indestructible cyborg is sent from 2029 to 1984 to assassinate a waitress, whose unborn son will lead humanity in a war against the machines while a soldier from that war is sent to protect her at all costs.”

What is science fiction #8:

Metropolis (1927)

Director: Fritz Lang

Writers: Thea Von Harbou and Fritz Lang

Stars: Brigitte Helm, Alfred Abel, and Gustav Fröhlich

“In a futuristic city sharply divided between the working class and the city planners, the son of the city’s mastermind falls in love with a working class prophet who predicts the coming of a savior to mediate their differences.”

What is science fiction #6:

Star Wars a New Hope (1977)

Director: George Lucas

Writer: George Lucas

Stars: Mark Hamil, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher

“Luke Skywalker joins forces with a Jedi Knight, a cocky pilot, a Wookiee and two droids to save the universe from the Empire’s world-destroying battle-station while also attempting to rescue Princess Leia from the evil Darth Vader.”

Read more on IMBD
It would be hard for anybody to argue that lineup. However, many people would be upset to know that Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan only made it to #44 on the list, while Wall-E is #40. Gravity is #59 on the list. This surprised many people considering the director, Alfonso Cuaron, was quoted saying this:

“I don’t think the film is a science fiction film in the sense that it takes place in the present with technology that exists.”

So does that mean that Science fiction requires the use of future technology? Ray Bradbury, famous science fiction author said this:

“Anything you dream is fiction, and anything you accomplish is science, the whole history of mankind is nothing but science fiction. ”

However, many Science Fiction fans say that this definition is too vague and would mean that most everything is Science Fiction. It seems that no matter who you ask, the answer is always different. Unsurprisingly Wikipedia, the world’s #1 crowd-sourced encyclopedia, has one of the most widely accepted definitions:

“Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginative content such as futuristic settings, futuristic science, and technology, space travel, time travel, faster than light travel, parallel universes, and extraterrestrial life.”

Whether you agree with any of these definitions or not, one thing is clear. The definition of science fiction largely depends on who you’re asking. Let us know your definition of science fiction in the comments section.

Having been a closet nerd until the ripe age of 17, Christopher has "let out his inner nerd." Now at the age of 24, he enjoys avoiding long walks on the beaches so he can stay inside reading comics, watching youtube, and eating Pez from a Darth Vader dispenser.